The AFC Cup was created when the Asian Champions' League was restricted to 14 'mature' member associations of AFC; the teams from 14 so-called 'developing' members were relegated to this secondary tournament. The remaining 17 'emerging' countries were moved to the 'third level' Presidents Cup, first held 2005.
Since then, there has been some movement between the countries considered fit for the Champions League and those entering the AFC Cup, with even a small qualifying section between the two tournaments set up from the 2009 edition onwards. However, the Presidents Cup proved a graveyard for the so-called 'emerging' countries, with no movement from there to the AFC Cup until 2010 (though three countries, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Turkmenistan, were 'relegated' from the AFC Cup to the Presidents Cup over the years, suggesting the overall level of Asian football had in fact been moving backwards with (as of 2010) only 25 countries (among the 45 members in 2004, when Australia was still member of the OFC) classified as either 'mature' or 'developing' and 20 as just 'emerging'). In 2012, Myanmar returned to the AFC Cup, followed by Tajikistan in 2013, and Kyrgyzstan in 2014; the AFC apparently considered the overall level to be improving again, as the Presidents Cup was discontinued ater the 2014 edition, all relevant countries now eligible to enter the AFC Cup.
For the 2024/25 season, the secondary cup was renamed AFC Champions League Two, while a new tournament was introduced, the AFC Challenge Cup, taking the role of the former Presidents Cup.
AFC Cup
2004 Al-Jaish (Damascus)
2005 Al-Faysali (Amman)
2006 Al-Faysali (Amman)
2007 Shabab Al-Ordon (Amman)
2008 Muharraq
2009 Al-Kuwait SC (Kaifan)
2010 Al-Ittihad (Aleppo)
2011 Nasaf Qarshi
2012 Al-Kuwait SC (Kaifan)
2013 Al-Kuwait SC (Kaifan)
2014 Al-Qadisiya (Kuwait)
2015 Darul Ta'zim FC (Johor)
2016 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (Baghdad)
2017 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (Baghdad)
2018 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (Baghdad)
2019 Al-Ahed (Beirut)
2020 abandoned
2021 Muharraq
2022 Seeb
2024 Central Coast Mariners (Gosford)
AFC Champions League Two
2025 Sharjah
Clubwise list of winners
Al-Kuwait SC (Kaifan) 3
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya (Baghdad) 3
Al-Faysali (Amman) 2
Muharraq 2
Al-Ahed (Beirut) 1
Al-Ittihad (Aleppo) 1
Al-Jaish (Damascus) 1
Al-Qadisiya (Kuwait) 1
Central Coast Mariners 1
Darul Ta'zim FC (Johor) 1
Nasaf Qarshi 1
Seeb 1
Shabab Al-Ordon (Amman) 1
Sharjah 1
Countrywise list of winners
Kuwait 4
Iraq 3
Jordan 3
Syria 2
Bahrain 2
Australia 1
Lebanon 1
Malaysia 1
Oman 1
United Arab Emirates 1
Uzbekistan 1
Finals
19-11-2004 Al-Wahda (Damascus) 2-3 Al-Jaish
26-11-2004 Al-Jaish 0-1 Al-Wahda (Damascus)
19-10-2005 Al-Faysali 1-0 Al-Nijmeh
26-10-2005 Al-Nijmeh 2-3 Al-Faysali
27-10-2006 Al-Faysali 3-0 Muharraq
3-11-2006 Muharraq 4-2 Al-Faysali
2-11-2007 Al-Faysali 0-1 Shabab Al-Ordun
9-11-2007 Shabab Al-Ordun 1-1 Al-Faysali
31-10-2008 Muharraq 5-1 Safa (Beirut)
7-11-2008 Safa (Beirut) 4-5 Muharraq
3-11-2009 Al-Kuwait SC 2-1 Al-Karama (Homs)
6-11-2010 Al-Ittihad (Aleppo) 1-1 Al-Qadsia (Kuwait) [aet; 4-2 pen]
29-10-2011 Nasaf Qarshi 2-1 Al-Kuwait SC
3-11-2012 Al-Kuwait SC 4-0 Arbil
2-11-2013 Al-Kuwait SC 2-0 Al-Qadsia (Kuwait)
18-10-2014 Al-Qadsia (Kuwait) 0-0 Arbil [aet; 4-2 pen]
31-10-2015 Darul Ta'zim FC 1-0 Istiqlol Dushanbe
5-11-2016 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 1-0 Bengaluru FC
4-11-2017 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 1-0 Istiqlol Dushanbe
27-10-2018 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 2-0 Altyn Asyr (Ashgabat)
4-11-2019 Al-Ahed (Beirut) 1-0 April 25
5-11-2021 Muharraq 3-0 Nasaf Qarshi
22-10-2022 Seeb 3-0 Kuala Lumpur City FC
5- 5-2024 Central Coast M. 1-0 Al-Ahed (Beirut)
18- 5-2025 Sharjah 2-1 Lion City Sailors
win fin
Kuwait 4 7
Iraq 3 5
Jordan 3 4
Syria 2 4
Bahrain 2 3
Lebanon 1 4
Malaysia 1 2
Uzbekistan 1 2
Australia 1 1
Oman 1 1
United Arab Em. 1 1
Tajikistan 0 2
India 0 1
North Korea 0 1
Singapore 0 1
Turkmenistan 0 1
20 40
2005 Regar-TadAZ Tursunzade
2006 Dordoy-Dinamo Naryn
2007 Dordoy-Dinamo Naryn
2008 Regar-TadAZ Tursunzade
2009 Regar-TadAZ Tursunzade
2010 Yadanarbon FC
2011 Taipower
2012 Istiqlol Dushanbe
2013 Balkan Balkanabat
2014 HTTU Ashgabat
NB: tournament discontinued after the 10th edition in 2014 (and merged into
the AFC Cup).
Clubwise list of winners
Regar-TadAZ Tursunzade 3
Dordoy-Dinamo Naryn 2
Balkan Balkanabat 1
HTTU Ashgabat 1
Istiqlol Dushanbe 1
Taipower 1
Yadanarbon FC 1
Countrywise list of winners
Tajikistan 4
Kyrgyzstan 2
Turkmenistan 2
Myanmar 1
Taiwan 1
Finals
14- 5-2005 Regar-TadAZ T. 3-0 Dordoy-Dinamo Naryn
21- 5-2006 Dordoy-Dinamo Naryn 2-1 Vahsh Qurghonteppa [aet]
30- 9-2007 Dordoy-Dinamo Naryn 2-1 Mahendra Police
21- 9-2008 Regar-TadAZ T. 1-1 Dordoy-Dinamo Naryn [aet; 4-3 pen.]
27- 9-2009 Regar-TadAZ T. 2-0 Dordoy-Dinamo Naryn
26- 9-2010 Yadanarbon FC 1-0 Dordoy-Dinamo Naryn [aet]
25- 9-2011 Taiwan Power Comp. 3-2 Phnom Penh Crown
30- 9-2012 Istiqlol Dushanbe 2-1 Shabab Al-Am'ari
29- 9-2013 Balkan Balkanabat 1-0 KRL
26- 9-2014 HTTU (Ashgabat) 2-1 Rimyongsu
win fin
Tajikistan 4 5
Kyrgyzstan 2 6
Turkmenistan 2 2
Chinese Taipei 1 1
Myanmar 1 1
Cambodia 0 1
Nepal 0 1
North Korea 0 1
Pakistan 0 1
Palestine 0 1
10 20
2025 Arkadag
Clubwise list of winners
Arkadag 1
Countrywise list of winners
Turkmenistan 1
Finals
10- 5-2025 Arkadag 2-1 Svay Rieng [aet]
win fin
Turkmenistan 1 1
Cambodia 0 1
1 2
Prepared and maintained by Karel Stokkermans for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
Author: Karel Stokkermans
(karel.rsssf@gmail.com)
Last updated: 10 Jun 2025
(C) Copyright Karel Stokkermans and RSSSF 2003/25
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